Deepak Thambrahli Nagaraja passed away on November 22nd, 2024 in Somerville, Massachusetts due to complications resulting from metastatic pancreatic cancer. Deepak was 63 years old. His family and close friends were by his side during his last few days.

Deepak was born on August 12th, 1961 in Bangalore, India, and spent most of his childhood living in the state of Maharashtra. As a young man, Deepak had many interests. He loved training with weights and led exercise classes at the famous gym owned by his uncle, K.V. Iyer. He was also an avid competitor in motorsports rallies and won the K1000, the longest-running rally in India. After attending the R.V. College of Engineering in India, Deepak would go on to emigrate to the US, where he earned a Masters in Mechanical Engineering at Wayne State University. His career led him to live in many places, including Seattle, Phoenix, Detroit, and Hiroshima. Deepak would go on to become a Vice President at Magna International, a role where he would have a tremendous impact and meet lifelong friends. After retiring, Deepak devoted his energy toward his passion for travel and wildlife. He helped fund and support the conservation efforts of endangered species in Masai Mara, Kenya, as well as in India.

Throughout his life, Deepak made many meaningful connections with the people he encountered. To his professional colleagues, he was an outstanding problem solver with an intuition for finding creative solutions and a unique ability to connect with every person he met. To his friends, Deepak was larger than life, witty, courageous and generous. Above all, Deepak was a caring family man who provided for and protected the people in his life.

Deepak's passing is preceded by the death of his father, T. Nagaraja. He is survived by his wife, Seethalakshmi; his mother, Prabha; his sisters, Jyoti and Arati; his sons, Surya and Tej; his daughter-in-law, Ava; his grandson, Ashton; and many other family members whom he was close to.

There will be a memorial service for Deepak on Saturday, December 7th at 2PM at the O'Brien-Sullivan Funeral Home 41555 Grand River, Novi, Michigan 48375.
Donations in memory of Deepak can be made to the Mara elephant Project https://maraelephantproject.org/donate/
Please join in reflecting on Deepak's life and legacy.